Makes you wanna cry

Heinrich

Link for a sad story. The Ahern boys really are a sad lot.


I'm glad mother isn't alive to see this - Noel Ahern
TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern's TD brother yesterday said he was glad their mother was not alive to see what he described as "malicious" attempts to bring down her son.

Housing and drugs Minister Noel Ahern blamed "someone in Fine Gael at a high level" for ongoing leaks about his brother's personal finances from the Mahon Tribunal.

Bertie and Noel's mother, Julia Ahern, died at the time of the Good Friday Agreement in April, 1998.

But Noel, who is TD for Dublin North West, said he was glad she was not around to see the campaign of "dirty tricks" aimed at his brother.

"My mother passed away some years ago. I'm glad she's not around today to listen to some of it," he told Newstalk FM.

Mr Ahern said he wouldn't like to be trying to explain lodgments he made six or nine months ago, never mind up to 15 years ago, "not that there is big money going through the accounts of people in the Ahern family, any of them. A week after the election all this stuff will beforgotten."

Dave!

It's disgusting that they'd use the memory of their mother as part of their political game. Absolutely shocking.

Heinrich

DaveMcG wrote:

It's disgusting that they'd use the memory of their mother as part of their political game. Absolutely shocking.

It brings the expression "selling your grandmother" to new levels.

I am beginning to wonder if FF are the leakers of information so that they get the sympathy. Dirty tricks indeed.

Frankly, if these people see nothing wrong with Bertie's shady dealings and appointments of his "friends" God help us. If they get back into Government then the Irish people will really deserve whatever is in store for them.

Sully

Very disapointing from FF. Sympathy vote now they are pleading for. Pathetic.

gandalf

Well if someone had conducted his financial dealings properly then we wouldn't have these issues.

And yes totally and utterly shameless, bringing their dead mother into it. Unfortunately certain sections of our society will lap it up.

Macy

Is it any surprise though? Last October it was the estranged wife and kids that he hid behind, this time the dead mother. Whatever about financial corruption, it's now certain that the two Ahern's are morally corrupt.

Sleepy

Am I the only one who's not the least bit surprised?

ArthurDent

Ah but will Dobbo be allowed interview him again so that he can get the teary-eyed "vote for me, sure I'm just a hard done by man, like the rest of you"

JerkyBoy

Speaking of that teary eyed interview where he said he spent £20,000 of the "whip-around" on his kids...

Bertie said on RTE with Dobson that the money's given to him by his "friends" were used to pay off debts arising from his seperation legal fees, and *sniff* *sniff* to pay for his daughters' educations.

This raises an importance question which I have not seen asked yet:

How come Bertie gets his friends to contribute the money he owes to his kids' educations, but yet manages to have £50,000+ to spend with his new girlfriend on their new house, which they don't even own?

That says more about his character than anything!

Raiser

If she was alive would she be more upset about the newpaper headlines or perhaps by the financial fcuking around and cynical political profiteering that caused these headlines to be written.

- Personally I think she should have been left to rest in peace instead of being rolled out like a cannon from an armoury in defence of an unscrupulous, useless and above all, ungrateful pair of vapid offspring.

borg07

DaveMcG wrote:

It's disgusting that they'd use the memory of their mother as part of their political game. Absolutely shocking.

What's disgusting is the selective leaks from the tribunal, why aren't the media trying to track down who ever is doing this ? It is a criminal offence afterall.

Its obvious that FG are so desperate to get into power, not only are the promising everything to everyone, they are doing everything they can to try and attack Bertie with these leaks

jhegarty

Thats just sad......

Its think its time for him to be a man and say he will be standing down as leader after the election....

jhegarty

borg07 wrote:

What's disgusting is the selective leaks from the tribunal, why aren't the media trying to track down who ever is doing this ? It is a criminal offence afterall.

Its obvious that FG are so desperate to get into power, not only are the promising everything to everyone, they are doing everything they can to try and attack Bertie with these leaks

This isn't leaking gossip about his private life or anything..... I can't see how its not in the public interest to know before they vote...


I am sure Mr Ahern would have no problems gettings some time on RTE to defend himself....if he wanted to....

Raiser

Raiser wrote:

If she was alive would she be more upset about the newpaper headlines or perhaps by the financial fcuking around and cynical political profiteering that caused these headlines to be written.

- Personally I think she should have been left to rest in peace instead of being rolled out like a cannon from an armoury in defence of an unscrupulous, useless and above all, ungrateful pair of vapid offspring.

So you can make a point about her and how she would have felt at the headlines...but they can't?

:rolleyes:

gandalf

borg07 wrote:

What's disgusting is the selective leaks from the tribunal, why aren't the media trying to track down who ever is doing this ? It is a criminal offence afterall.

It also begs the question, who has the easiest access to the tribunial, the government or the opposition?

Whose Department oversee's the tribunials?

Its obvious that FG are so desperate to get into power, not only are the promising everything to everyone, they are doing everything they can to try and attack Bertie with these leaks

Actually its obvious that Labour, FG, the Greens and even SF are trying to talk about policies and issues and its the Government parties that are keeping this going like a perpetual engine.

Didn't Madge O'Rourke say she believed it was sourced from within FF last October?

At the end of the day putting aside leaks, dead Mothers, uneducated children, separations the central issue is has Bertie told the truth, as far as I can see he has done everything but told the truth and is now tripping over the falsehoods that he has issued forth previously. If he was a man he would save his mothers rotations in the ground and resign.

ednwireland

DaveMcG wrote:

It's disgusting that they'd use the memory of their mother as part of their political game. Absolutely shocking.

totally agreed i couldn't beleive this when i heard it maybe noel feels like that but felt like a complete act to me.
fine gael must be crying at this point because i think that there will be a swing to fianna fail the longer this goes on and the less they have to talk about the billions wasted in the health service, roads etc the happier they will be !

Sully

Its annoying to see the blame being pointed at FG - there is no evidence to support this. In fact, I think a lot of FF people are thinking its a leak from inside or else from the PDs. Poor all Enda and the rest are being blamed so that the leaker isnt found out but also in an attempt to damaget FG.

What Bertie has said and done, both actions and excuses, was always a disgrace. Now that they are using his Mother, a dead women, to defend his arrogance from the grave - is a disgrace. He should be ashamed of himself. The poor women should rest in peace.

coffee_cake

Deleted User wrote:

So you can make a point about her and how she would have felt at the headlines...but they can't?

:rolleyes:

Well I don't think Raiser is running for election and mentioning it as part of the campaign...

bluewolf

bluewolf wrote:

Well I don't think Raiser is running for election and mentioning it as part of the campaign...

I thought it was the coment itself which caused offence. So if another brother had said it, or if Noel clarifies that it was not meant to be part of any campaign but merely an expression of a personal stance and not a party one, the coment would be fine?

Raiser

Deleted User wrote:

I thought it was the coment itself which caused offence. So if another brother had said it, or if Noel clarifies that it was not meant to be part of any campaign but merely an expression of a personal stance and not a party one, the coment would be fine?

Context is everything young Conor, me boy, ya gas man, you panic you

I'm sure most people thought that this comment was a bit off colour given the footing it so distastefully sprang from.

Raiser

Raiser wrote:

I'm sure most people thought that this comment was a bit off colour given the footing it so distastefully sprang from.

Oh I think he was being cynical. I was just amused by those who gave out, and then gave their own version of what they thought Mrs Ahern might have felt. I presume some people reckon two wrongs do make a right after all...

JerkyBoy

borg07 wrote:

Its obvious that FG are so desperate to get into power, not only are the promising everything to everyone, they are doing everything they can to try and attack Bertie with these leaks

Desperate to get into power?
Before "Bertiegate II" broke FG\Lab were massively up in the polls with a victory looking very likely. Add Greens to the mix and FG\LAB\Green were miles ahead of FF\PD.

This was before "Bertiegate II" struck so they were certainly not desperate, or in need of any kind of dirty trick.

Not to mention from the beginning FG\LAB have been trying to focus on the issues while the media has focused on Bertie's dodgy finances.

Not to mention the longer this goes on, the better FF and Bertie will probably come out of it, because a certain percentage of the Irish electorate are morons who condone corruption.

FG had no reason to risk their popularity with the public by making Bertie look like a victim. They were doing just fine on their own.

What's curious is that FF are blaming the leaks on FG now, while admitting there is no evidence to suggest it.
That's dirty politics!

Dandesav

FF kept going on last week that they wanted the elction to be about 'the issues', but now they have done (yet another) huge U-Turn. Now they seem to want the election to be a referendum on Bertie and how sorry we should all feel for FF being attacked by the vicious media.